Wire fence



(No Model.)

0. W. WELD.

WIRE FENCE.

No. 327,208. I PatentedSept.29, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WV. WELD, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,208, dated September 29, 1885.

' Application filed June 18, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. WELD, of Southbridge, in the county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Wire Fences, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my improved fence; Fig. 2, an enlarged front elevation of one of the clamps and a portion of one of the posts and wires; Fig. 3,a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5, horizontal sections showing modifications of the improvement, and Fig. 6 a horizontal section taken on the line as a: in Fig. 2.

Like letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates more especially to the means for securing the Wires to the posts; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simpler, cheaper, and more effective device for this purpose than is now in ordinary use.

The nature of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the post, B the clamp, and C the wire.

The clamp consists,principally, of a tubular body or sleeve, m, adapted to slide on the post A, and provided with two downwardly and outwardly projecting jaws, d z, the jaw d flaring more than the jaw z, or standing far ther from the side of the post to adapt the clamp for wires of different sizes, the jaw (1 being adapted to receive a large and the jaw z a small wire.

A groove, f, is cut transversely in the front side of the post to receive the wire 0, the outer ends of said groove being inclined backwardly or toward the rear of the post in such a manner as to form a bearing point or projection, r, at the center of said groove.

The jaws d z are respectively arc-shaped,

or curved laterally to form the bearing or gripping edgesi t.

A shoulder or projection, t, is formed on either side of the sleeve m above the jaws d 2, against which a hammer may be struck in driving up or loosening the clamp to remove the wire from the post.

In the use of my improvement the wire 0 is placed in the groove f of the post A, and the clamp B driven down over it, causing the edges z of the jaw dor 2, as the case may be, to engage the wire and bend or cramp it, as best seen in Fig. 6, thereby firmly securing it to the post.

Instead of inclining the ends of the groove f backwardly to form a sharp bearing-point, r, at its center, as shown in Fig. 6, it may be so cut that said bearing-pointwill be rounded or oval, as shown in Fig. 4. I do not, however, confine myself to inclining the ends of the groove,as it may be cutstraight, as shown in Fig. 5, if desired, although I deem it preferable to form a sharp or comparatively sharp bearing-point on the post at the center of the groove, as it enables the jaw of the clamp to cramp or bend the wire with greater ease and hold it more securely.

When the groove f is cut straight or its ends are not inclined to form a bearing-point, r, at its center, the jaw which engages the wire should be wider, so that one of its bearingedges twill stand outside of or slightly beyond either end of the groove, thereby enabling the jaw to more readily bend or cramp the wire.

The clamp'may be arranged below the wire and driven upwardly on the post, if desired, with substantially'the same results; but it is preferable to place the clamp above the wire and drive it down, as it is not so liable to get loose and permit the wire to escape from the groove. 1

I do not confine myself to constructing the clamp with two jaws, or with the flanges t, as one of the jaws and either one or both of the flanges may be omitted, if deemed desirable. Neither do I confine myself to the useof round posts, as they may be of any other suitable form,the clamp being constructed accordingly.

It will be understood, of course, that each of the posts in the fence is to be provided with one or more grooves, in accordance with the number of wires employed; also that any desired size of post or wire may be used, the wire being either plain or barbed, as preferred.

My improvement enables a very small or light post to be used, and the fence to be erected or removed with great facility.

I am aware that in the construction of wire fences a Sliding clamp has been used in combination with the post for securing the wire, and do not, therefore,claim the same,broadly; but,

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a wire fence, the combination of the following instrumentalities, to wit: apost provided with one or more transverse grooves in its side, a wire, and a clamp fitted to slide on said post and provided with an arc-shaped or laterally curved jaw which corresponds approximately in its curvature with the curvature of the post, and is adapted to engage the wire and cramp or bend it when the wire is disposed in the groove and the jaw of the clamp is forced or driven over the wire, substantially as described.

2. In a wire fence, the post A, provided withthe transverse groove f, and having the raised bearing-point r disposed in said groove, in combination. with a clamp fitted to slide on said post and adapted to bend the wire inwardly at either side of said bearing-point, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a wire fence, the clamp B, in combination with the post A, said clamp being provided with the two arc-shaped or laterallycurved jaws d z, standing at different angles to the body of the clamp, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a wire fence, the post A, provided with the groove f, and bearing-point r, the clamp B, provided with the curved jaws d z and flange t, and the Wire 0, combined and arranged to operate substantially as described.

CHARLES WV. WELD.

\Vitnesses:

G. A. PAIGE, W. O. OALLAHAN. 

